Hot Plate Diner in South Minneapolis

Isabel Subtil / Heavy Table

Hot Plate, a below-the-radar diner in South Minneapolis, is different, singular, unique, one-of-a-kind, funky… anything but normal. When you enter, a buck-toothed mannequin dressed in Hot Plate swag and red Chuck Taylors blankly leers in your general direction. Innumerable paint-by-numbers portraits crowd the walls and creepy-but-endearing statuettes line the railings, fill shelves, and sit on the tables. And then there are the Lucite grapes and mod fixtures. If not so playful and carefully curated — and if it wasn’t accompanied by really good food — the concentration of kitsch might be too much.

Isabel Subtil / Heavy Table

So it’s a joy that, where typical “greasy spoons” try to disguise bad food with pounds of butter and oil, Hot Plate puts out high-quality, inventive fare that doesn’t send you right back to bed. The bacon is lean, thick, and toothsome, and the crispy, well-seasoned potatoes far surpass the typically bland, mushy “home fries.” The omelets (below) are large, fluffy, and chock-full of first-rate fillings; the scrambles are equally great. Even Hot Plate’s plain oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar ($5.25) is solid, though we strongly recommend ordering a side of nuts to enhance the cereal’s texture and flavor.

Isabel Subtil / Heavy Table

Hot Plate’s sweet breakfast dishes further separate it from the diner crowd. The buttermilk pancakes with caramelized pecans ($6 for a short stack) are awesome — relatively thin, but pillowy. The pecans (mixed into the batter) give the cakes a subtle crunch and, with syrup, just the right amount of sweetness (if ordering again, we’d skip the Lingonberry butter — it’s just one too many sweet components). The scrumptious pumpkin buckwheat waffle ($8.25, pictured top) and caramel apple French toast ($8, below) skillfully straddle the line between breakfast and dessert, and both are impressively moist on the inside and crisp on the outside.

Isabel Subtil / Heavy Table

Unfortunately, Hot Plate’s coffee (drip and espresso) doesn’t do the food justice: It’s watery and bitter. But don’t let that dissuade you from checking out this good-spirited spot. On our first visit, we had lattes in hand when we arrived and were graciously told to keep on sipping. That kind of good morning from a kind and attentive staff, along with Hot Plate’s quick service, delicious food, and crazy tchotchkes, can’t help but start the day right.

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About the Author

Joshua Page

Joshua Page became fascinated with food as a young latchkey cook in Southern
California. He developed a passion for eating out while working in “the industry”
in college and procrastinating (and accruing debt) as a graduate student. Now a
professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota, Joshua also loves to write—
when it’s not about crime, law, and punishment, his musings are about Twin Cities
eateries.